Mick Mills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mick Mills
MBE

Personal information
Full name	Michael Dennis Mills
Date of birth	(1949-01-04) 4 January 1949 (age 76)
Place of birth	Godalming, Surrey, England
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.71 m)
Position(s)	Full back
Youth career
1964–1966	Portsmouth
1966–1967	Ipswich Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1966–1982	Ipswich Town	591	(22)
1982–1985	Southampton	103	(3)
1985–1987	Stoke City	38	(0)
Total		732	(25)
International career
1967	England Youth	6	(0)
1970–1972	England U23	5	(0)
1972–1982	England	42	(0)
Managerial career
1985–1989	Stoke City
1990	Colchester United
2001	Birmingham City (joint caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael Dennis Mills, also known as Mick Mills, is a famous English former footballer. He was born on January 4, 1949. He played for several teams, including Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Stoke City.

Mick Mills also became a manager for Stoke City, Colchester United, and Birmingham City. He holds the record for the most appearances for Ipswich Town. He also had the honor of being the captain for the England team at the 1982 World Cup. He is one of the top players with the most appearances in English football's highest league.

In 1984, Mick Mills was given the MBE award. This award recognized his great contributions to football.

Playing for Clubs

Mick Mills started his football journey as a schoolboy at Portsmouth. However, the club closed its youth program, so he had to find a new team. Ipswich Town welcomed him, and he played his first game for their main team in 1966. He was only 17 years old at the time. Ipswich won that game 5–2 against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mick played as a full back, which means he defended the goal. He could play on either side of the field, but he often played on the left. He became a regular player for Ipswich in 1969. This was the year after the club moved up to the First Division, which is the top league. It was also when Bobby Robson became the team's manager.

Mick Mills in 1978

Bobby Robson made Mick Mills the team captain in 1971. This started a strong partnership between the manager and his captain. Together, they helped Ipswich Town become one of the best teams for ten years. In 1973, Ipswich finished fourth in the First Division. They also won the Texaco Cup and got to play in the UEFA Cup, a European competition. Ipswich often finished high in the First Division and played in many European tournaments.

In 1978, Ipswich had a tough season in the First Division, finishing 16th. But they had amazing success in the FA Cup. They reached the final and beat Arsenal 1–0 at Wembley. As captain, Mick Mills lifted the FA Cup trophy. This was Ipswich's first major trophy in 16 years.

Ipswich continued to do well, finishing in the top five every year from 1978 to 1982. The 1981 season was very special. They almost won the First Division and the FA Cup, but they did win the UEFA Cup. Mick Mills proudly collected the UEFA Cup after they beat AZ 67 Alkmaar in the final.

After 17 years and 741 games for Ipswich, Mick Mills moved to Southampton in November 1982. This was a club record for appearances. He played 123 games for Southampton over three seasons. In 1985, he left to become a player-manager at Stoke City. He played 44 games for Stoke before he stopped playing football at age 38.

Playing for England

Mick Mills played for England at both youth and under-23 levels.

In the 1972–73 season, England's manager, Alf Ramsey, gave Mick his first chance to play for the main England team. This was in a 1–1 game against Yugoslavia at Wembley. Mick played as a right back for England, a position he often played for his country.

He played more games for England in the following years. By the end of 1977, he had played 11 times for his country. He faced a lot of competition for the full back positions. Even though his club, Ipswich, was winning trophies, his international career was not always smooth.

In 1979, another young player, Kenny Sansom, joined the team, adding more competition for Mick's position. However, Mick started to play regularly as a left back for England as they qualified for the 1980 European Championships. Mick was part of the squad, but Sansom often played ahead of him. Mick did play in England's final game of the tournament against Spain.

In 1981, Mick played in four more England matches, all of which were qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup. When England beat Hungary at Wembley to reach their first World Cup in 12 years, Mick earned his 35th cap.

At the 1982 World Cup, Mick Mills was named captain for England's first game against France in Bilbao. England won 3–1. Mick stayed in the team for the other group matches, which England also won. England was knocked out of the tournament after two draws in the second round.

Coaching and Managing Teams

In 1985, Mick Mills became the player-manager of Stoke City. The club was in a difficult situation, having just been moved down from the First Division. They also had very little money. Mick worked hard to improve the team. Stoke started well, winning 6–2 against Leeds United in his third match.

Money continued to be a problem for Stoke. They had to sell some players to help pay off the club's debts. Despite this, results slowly got better, and Stoke finished 10th in the 1985–86 season. More players were sold in the next season. However, when Peter Coates became the chairman, some new players joined the team. Stoke's spirits were lifted with a big 7–2 win over Leeds United again. They climbed up the table but finished 8th.

The 1987–88 season was not as good for Stoke, and they finished 11th. More money was raised by selling players like Lee Dixon and Steve Bould to Arsenal. In the 1988–89 season, Stoke finished in the middle of the table again. Mick was given one last chance to get Stoke promoted. He had £1 million to spend on new players for the 1989–90 season. However, results were poor, and Stoke was at the bottom of the league. Mick was fired in November 1989.

The next year, Mick became the manager of Colchester United. They were also at the bottom of their league. Even though Colchester improved, they still moved down a division. Mick decided not to stay on as manager. After that, he worked as a chief scout for Sheffield Wednesday. He then became a coach and Assistant Manager at Birmingham City. For a short time, he was also the caretaker manager there.

After Football

After working as a Technical Director for a sports company, Mick Mills is now retired. However, he still talks about football on BBC Radio Suffolk during live matches.

In 2010, Mick Mills became a supporter of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. This foundation helps people with cancer.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Managerial Statistics

Awards and Achievements

As a Player

Ipswich Town

• FA Cup: 1978
• UEFA Cup: 1981
• Texaco Cup: 1973
• Football League First Division runner-up: 1980–81, 1981–82
• Football League Second Division: 1967–68

Southampton

• Football League First Division runner-up: 1983–84

Individual Awards

• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 1977–1978
• Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year: 1976–77
• Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2007

See also

In Spanish: Mick Mills para niños